RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – The state Board of Health voted Monday to move forward with a plan that would ban transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams.
It follows a similar move from the Virginia High School League.
The board will now start drafting a rule banning trans athletes. It’s an unusual step because the Board of Health does not usually deal with athletics.
However, in this case, 14 of 15 members voted unanimously in support.
That vote follows a petition from several collegiate swimmers – two from Virginia Tech and one from Roanoke College.
They argue they’ve been directly harmed by competing against transgender women.
Of the more than 2,300 people who commented on the petition, only 45% supported it.
Maria Reppas, Director of Communications, Virginia Department of Health issued this statement Tuesday:
After evaluation and consideration, the Board of Health decided to grant the petition for rulemaking. The Board of Health based its vote on a thorough assessment of the petition’s merits in the context of Virginia’s ongoing health needs. The next step in the regulatory process is to draft a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) for the Board of Health’s future consideration.
The Virginia Department of Health remains committed to making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation, and we will work with the Board of Health to move forward with the regulatory process.
This comes amid growing restrictions on the transgender community.
VCU Health ended gender-affirming care after an executive order from President Donald.
The White House is also threatening five Northern Virginia districts for refusing to change their transgender student policies.
Now the board will begin drafting new rules, which are expected to go through months of legal review and public comment before anything is put into place.
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